Necessity
by Rabid Lola
Summary: The redheaded boy rarely left her side. When she was unconscious and recovering in the hospital, that is. Kousuke and Rio, friendship, one-shot.


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Necessity

_A Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna fanfic by Rabid Lola _

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna. I got addicted to it because of Riyuji. Oh well. Fic is pointless, focusing on Kousuke and Rio and friendship, in a roundabout sort of way. _

**…-…**

The redheaded boy rarely left her side. When she was unconscious, and recovering in the hospital, that is. Funny how he always dropped by, when she would tease him, irk him, stick her tongue out at him and say "Kousuke-kun no baka!" every five minutes.

_You're going to blow yourself up!_

Not that he _cared_ about her, not really. It was just… a matter of looking out for someone who shared the same fate as you. Yeah, that was it. You were bound together, in some strange way, whether you liked it or not. (Not at all, in Rutherford's case, but hey.)

Blade Children found it hard to believe in others, or trust in others. All they had, after all, were their own abilities and their own talents. Who else would look out for them in the wide, cold world?

_Fragile and small, lying in Narumi-otouto's arms as blood seeped out onto her vest… _

"Rio!"

The little idiot. So sharp, and devilishly clever, but still a little idiot. Still a little girl. All right, not so little since she was as old as he was, but she seemed like it. All things considered, she was a girl who should be normal, and shouldn't be canny and cunning and cruel at seventeen.

Just like him. And the rest of the Blade Children.

Maybe that's why he visited so often, no matter how many times she verbally abused him, no matter how many times he felt like throttling her out of sheer annoyance.

_Gray eyes peered out from under white sheets, as thunder crashed close and near. _

She would be lonely, all by herself, in this hospital. She needed someone to be there for her, still. They all did, at some point, although no one ever was, and they would never ask for company. People didn't often remember that Blade Children were still human.

Kousuke let out something like a sigh as he leaned back in a chair and tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling.

All right, all right, for all his tough-ass, promise-breaking, embittered on-the-run personality, he was still soft. That's why he stayed behind to watch over her, instead of Rutherford, who also had more to do. There was no two ways about it, unfortunately.

Rio shifted in her sleep and made a small sound of discomfort. Kousuke watched as she settled herself, her eyelids fluttering in a dream-strewn sleep. She suddenly released a cry, and he stood and walked over unhurriedly to her bed. She tossed fretfully, caught in an unpleasant nightmare…

Kouskue blew an exasperated breath and knelt, setting one hand not ungently on top of the girl's head. Nearly immediately, Rio stopped tossing and her breathing slowed, and became almost even.

"Calm down," he grumbled softly, but not brusquely. "You're supposed to sleep peacefully to recover, you know."

A part-smile, part-smirk seemed to flit over the girls' face, and she cracked one eye open sleepily. "Kousuke-kun…no baka."

He stood and shoved his hands back into his pockets, but there was something like a little grin on his don't-care face as he retorted, "Shaddap."

_They bickered and quarreled like anything, and he teased her on her fear of thunder and she would call him stupid and bash him with her pillow, and somehow they'd sink into an almost familial familiarity, like they were not a hunted race, like they had no destiny to face or run from. It was a friendship first born out of necessity rather than choice…but it worked. _

Kousuke retreated to his chair and cast a sideways glance at his friend. Her eyes glowed eerily in the dark, much like his usually did, but even so he saw the tiny hint of gratefulness that she'd never say aloud. He smirked and tilted his face towards the ceiling again.

"Get some sleep. G'night, Rio."

**…EnD… **


End file.
